Hyakki Yagyo
by velvet-sometimes
Summary: When something old awakens into a world of everything new, there are consequences for the actions of the past. And when spirits long since forgotten start to answer the call of magic, and Dragons seek retribution for the wounds of the land, Chihiro's world changes in impossible ways.
1. Beginning

**Disclaimer: I don't own Spirited Away.  
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**A greeting full of promises, the dark goodbye-hello **

The full moon hung heavy in the sky the night that everything changed, looking almost as if it could come tumbling down at any moment to crash into the bay. It's light thick and almost tangible in the still summer air. And Chihiro felt as if she were weaving through clouds as she brought all her wares in from the darkness; the entire town slowly closing down for the night as revelers and festival goers faded away in the shadows of tail lights that streaked across the winding roads in trails of bright, shining red that glimmered like rubies in the dark as they speed off to who knows where.

She'd loved nights like these ever since she was a young girl; the magic of them. Not the festivals themselves, but the after. The lanterns hanging high above the streets and distant notes of laughter; nameless voices that clung to the air belaying lives she'd never know, and the remnants of their inhabitance that littered the place. A forgotten hair band on the sidewalk, or a wrapper from a childs favorite piece of candy.

She never wanted the sun to rise; she wanted to live perpetually in that midnight hour for the rest of her life. It was so full of promise; goodbyes in the dark that made her sigh in wistfulness as she watched them from her stand, and even greater -the hellos. The first meeting she was so privileged to witness occur. The beginnings.

Little did she know, as she flipped the sign on her window to 'closed', that this was the beginning of her own goodbye. And her own hello.

**Note:**** Hello there, readers both old and new. This is my second Spirited Away story, so if you haven't read Ablution, please do, it's one of the top ten most popular stories for this fandom, and hopefully will be able to tide you over while i'm writing this one. As for return readers, welcome back! I hope you all enjoy this story as much as everything else I've written.  
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	2. Standing

**Disclaimer: I don't own Spirited Away.  
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**Like falling snow, like roaring wind**

Chihiro wasn't sure why she turned back around, maybe it was the odd sort of light headed pop of displaced air, or just a whim of the night, but she did.

And what she saw had her jumping back from the door she had left propped open, scrambling backward until she was pressed into the leg of one of her display stands; shaking fingers frantically trying to dig her cellphone from her pocket without losing eye contact with what stood before her.

She hit her speed dial number for her parents, scarcely breathing as the line innocently rang, belaying her panic. And when the line finally crackled to life, the scratchy voice of her father greeting her with a: "Hey Sweetheart! How'd it go tonight?", Chihiro could barely swallow her panic enough to speak, the only sound coming from her throat hysterical, terrified laughter.

And after a moment of her father asking what was wrong, she was finally able to form words.

"Dad, I don't know what you're doing right now, But there's a Dragon standing in my doorway."

**Note:**** I'm posting a second chapter with the first, since I've always felt that a single drabble isn't enough to hook people into a series like this. So enjoy.  
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	3. hallucinating

**Disclaimer: I don't own Spirited Away.  
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**Beg silently and the wrong gods will hear you**

There was a pause from the other end of the line, the only sound in the stillness of the night the static crackle of her father's breathing, and the movement of the great beast that stood before her. "Chihiro are you drunk?"

She looked at the creature with unblinking eyes, taking it in as it's mass nearly filled the entirety of her doorway, and intelligent green eyes stared back. Pure, pearly white scales flowed across his body like water, and a mane the color of sea foam trailed down his spine. Him -as he was most definitely a male; proud and tall and winding-, stood before her, not touching the step of her doorway, but close enough that he could have reached across that threshold with a clawed foot and touched her had he wanted to.

No, Chihiro was not drunk. "I seriously doubt I'm hallucinating dad," she told him, an edge of hysteria coloring her words. "I'm pretty sure this is an honest to god Dragon staring at me."

There was a heartfelt sigh from the crackling phone at her ear. "It's probably some kids in an old costume from New Years, I'm sure-,"

"No dad, I'm pretty sure this guy is real." She cut off his denial with her reply, voice raising in octive until it was shrill with terror.

The creature cocked his head to the side, staring at her in the same curiosity as she had bestowed upon him, before merely turning, and making his way down the darkening stretch of mainstreet.

"He's leaving." She told her dad as she scrambled to her feet so that she could look out the doorway want watch his retreating form. "He's just walking down the street like he owns the place."

And in the distance, she could hear exclamations of fright and screams filling the night from bystanders that noticed his trek.

And all at once, Mainstreet was as bright as daylight.

**Note:**** Chapter 3! I hope everyone is intrigued about how this story is going to play out; I know I'm really excited to write it. And I'm so glad to see that some old friends are reading this -readers who've been following my work for a while. I wouldn't be writing without everyone's kind words, so thank you.  
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	4. threatening

**Disclaimer: I don't own Spirited Away.  
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**Choose to go or stay. choose all your fate. choose hope, or abandon the future here.**

Chaos surrounded the great beast; the small town quickly coming back to life to face this strangeness that was all at once terrifyingly new and heartbreakingly ancient. He was an old world myth -a legend from an age of superstition that had died out long before her time. A story they told to children around campfires. Never meant to be real.

Yet he slowly made his way through the streets of their sea side town with all the grace of a shark patrolling the depths of its territory -with all the realness of any of those who watched from windows with curtains drawn and behind doors.

His claws clicked against the cobblestones, and his furred mane swayed in a breeze that was not there. His breath came in loud puffs of icy air, coating the flowers that grew in pots along the sides of road with frost and dew that melted away moments later. He was make believe, from story books and whispers. And he was gloriously real.

He paused for a moment to look around the town in interest, long neck swaying in his movement, and for a split second, his eyes connected with hers once more, -her phone clasped tightly to her chest with shaking fingers and his tail lazily swinging in soft arches that spanned the entire street with it's movement- before he turned back to face the people who were brave enough to leave the protection of their shops and homes.

The exchange did not go unnoticed.

Nor did the rumbling that escaped his chest, almost a growl, but lower, resonating through her. The sound of it made her legs shake, threatening to give out from underneath her, but his voice sent many to their knees.

"You have dared to awaken me; and I find my domaine defiled -what do you offer in return for your lives?"

**Note:**** Hello hello! So, I wanted to let everyone know -yes, this story is going to take a very dark turn, very early on (some of you have already messaged me about it -damn people, thanks for knowing what i'm doing before i do it). But please don't worry; I have plans to make this just as long as Ablution was (100+ drabbles) so there is no way i'm going to leave you hanging.  
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	5. knowing

**Disclaimer: I don't own Spirited Away.  
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**The First step is madness, the second is woe**

The streets were silent in the wake of his words, none sure what to make of this angry lost god. And as the minutes ticked past, he seemed to grow in agitation; his tail flicking in annoyance, threatening to overturn a flower pot that was seated too close to him.

"Where is the bravery of mortals now?" And his voice was rolling and rumbling like distant thunder, causing a shiver of dark anticipation to roll up her spine in turn.

And it was that shiver that made her legs start to move of their own accord, bringing her closer to the creature whose eyes were now trained on her with a deadly intensity.

"Great spirit," her voice shook so badly that she had to pause to swallow down the lump of fear that was lodged in her throat. "What have we done to anger you?"

"The mortal filth that taints my waters." He replied with a snap of fangs, his words a snarl. "How dare you disrespect the land I gifted you with before my slumber."

Chihiro fought the urge to take a step back, holding her ground before the angry spirit. "I'm sorry." she told him, knowing the words were weak in the face of his wrath. "I can't change what's happened, but I can help fix it, if you'd let me."

**Note:**** and now, slowly, we are starting to have plot emerge! thank you, _TheSorrowfulVampress_ and _Lyrainthedark_, for staying up and drabbling with me as i exclaimed for the first time in months 'I have an idea! I must write!' Each chapter have 2 titles, the word title -ing words, and the actual title, which is a line of prose either I or someone I'm write with have come up it to describe each chapter. _They are there as clues -take them as such._  
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	6. Barking

**Disclaimer: I don't own spirited away.**

**hold your breath, squeeze your fingers tight**

The myth that was not a myth came toward her, his long body twining around her and taking up the entirety of the street with it's movement; forcing the townspeople back toward the shelter of the buildings, and cutting her off from any sense of safety she might have had.

Chihiro fought the instinctive urge to flee when she felt his icy breath ghost over her flesh, blowing her hair back from her shoulders with it's force. Her eyes were closed against the image before her, fingers clenched tightly to keep the panic at bay as she took a deep breath, holding it for a long moment to settle her nerves.

And when she opened her eyes, her only view was that of white fur and pearly scales and a row of huge, shining fangs.

"Brave little mortal -you're shaking; but such sweet smelling courage. Come now and tell me: how will a pack squealing boar," he paused for a moment, mighty head cocking slightly, as if to get a better look at her, "And small barking dog with no teeth appease the wrath of a God?"

**Note: This is a gift for _Lyrainthedark_, who helped me figure out the entire plot of this story tonight.**


	7. unblinking

**Disclaimer: I don't own spirited away.**

**When walking through the dark, remember that before is where the danger lurks, not behind.**

She paused in turn, staring up at the great beast before her, who met her gaze with shimmering, unblinking green. There was emotion there, there was intelligence, though what she did see she could not name. And that is what terrified her all the more.

"I," she began, before backtracking again at the feeling of eyes watching her from the windows. "We, can make this right."

"And what shall you do?" The creature pressed, voice an amused purr. As if he took pleasure in her hesitance. In her fear.

"We'll dredge the river; clean out the trash. We'll hold a festival in your honor -like in the old days. With offerings to you in celebration of your return to the land." Her own voice surprised her with it's strength, even with the waver in her notes.

And the Dragon did not laugh at her for it. Instead he looked pleased, drawing back as if now satisfied with what he found, and for the first time since the beginning of their encounter, she felt as if she could breathe. "I shall hold you to your word, little mortal. See that it is done, and my blessings shall be unmatched. Fail me, and my wrath will be terror."

He turned then, stepping away so that he could take flight.

And he was magnificent; looping through the air as if he was made of nothing but the wind itself, before disappearing into the light of the moon.

**Note: Here's an update for you all before I have to go start packing up my essentials -I'm getting a new apartment in the same city (so moving, technically, but not), and I'm going to be staying with my boyfriend while I get the down-payment settled and THEY get the unit move in ready.  
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	8. Swaying

**Disclaimer: I don't own spirited away.**

**Rumor to bargain, bargain to lie -here is the path that fear walks**

Days passed since the arrival of the dragon, -whispers of a shared hallucination that were ruthlessly dashed by his next appearance, and his next. The myth that was not a myth liked to perch himself atop the shine that overlooked the main street -his coils wrapping around the peak of it to hang lazily over the eaves, tail swaying in the wind and watching the townsfolk with calculated interest.

Chihiro wondered how this world looked to him now, what he saw in the fishing nets and the exhaust of cars. She knew his ever watchful gaze frightened the people of her town -stole the breath from their lungs whenever his eyes would settle upon them with his silent judgement. weighing and measuring each before moving on again.

It was not uncommon for her to feel his eyes watching her anytime she moved near the windows of her shop; his stare flickering to her at random points throughout the day; making her fingers fumble in their transactions whenever she felt it, or a box to fall from her hands.

Just at sunset he would fly over the town, and with him he took the light -the last flashes reflecting from his scales before disappearing beyond the horizon.

He would always circle her store in the air before he departed for the shine once more, almost as if he couldn't resist the urge to unsettle her, though he never once touched what belonged to her. Coming close, testing, teasing. But she paid his antics no mind, merely clapping her hands together and bowing in short prayer to the guardian of the land before going about her business once more.

His pointed interest in the young shopkeeper was not missed; everyone knew. Everyone feared. And it was that knowing that spread through the town like wildfire. It was that fear that sealed her fate.

**Note: chapter 8.  
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	9. Offering

**Disclaimer: I don't own spirited away.**

**Ornament your Ritual Gifts, Decorate the sacrifice -lie your way into heaven.**

It was once such day, with the Dragon seated high above the town square -watching, always watching- that Chihiro received a phone call from the city council. Quiet voices asking for her to come to the shrine. Asking for her to be brave -allow herself to be dressed and painted like the old princesses from the time he had once knew; in heavy kimono and and lacquer. To lead a procession to the cliff above the point where the river met the bay. And give an offering to the crashing waves.

She did not deny them.

The old women who usually just sat by their windows and their drank tea in silence surrounded her, armed with combs and paints and hushed reassurances of her beauty. And layer after layer of beautiful, silk kimono. It felt like being prepared for a wedding, but then, when else would such luxury come onto her?

And after such treatment, she was not surprised when awaiting her at the steps of the shrine was a Litter and four men standing at attention, waiting to carry her and her offering away. It was a parade of grandeur and all came to witness it. All came to bow as she passed.

It was a strange feeling.

But she was not afraid -the dragon was not cruel. He made the water sweet and the flowers grow. And it was with this lack of fear that she allowed herself to be lead to the edge of the cliff, arms full of wild flowers and listening to the softly speaking priest who offered prayer to the wind.

It was with this trust that she listened when he gestured for her to give her offering to the water.

And when she felt hands come to rest against the small of her back, she did not fear also, though she should have.

Because in the next moment, all she could see were wild flowers, and the fractured sunlight as it disappeared above her.

**Note: sorry about the delay; i was having a hard few days with work. As always though; Reviews are a very nice thing to leave.  
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	10. patrolling

**Disclaimer: I don't own spirited away.**

**With life staining the lips of the dead -waters flow**

There was fear once she was sinking into the water, feeling their chill seeping into her bones and watching as the surface floated further and further from her grasp.

She tried to kick her legs, futilely reaching for the surface of the waves, but the weight of the heavy kimono that billowed out around her pulled her down -faster and faster, until the color of the sun that was filtering down, creating rainbows that danced along the edges of her vision, broke apart like a million tiny pieces of fractured glass.

Dark shapes swam around her; indistinguishable in the churning waters and nothing more than shadows to her vision. And yet they terrified her.

Though nothing was more terrifying to the girl than the heat in her lungs. The water was on fire with her breath, but did not burn as she did. And she could not hold on; the air escaping in a school of bubbles -so innocent and peaceful in the face of her panicked flailing.

This was it -after everything, this was her end. The real offering to appease the anger of a god, and her only companions sharks that circled in winding archs, patrolling the depths, waiting for the last twitches of life to escape her.

They would not wait long.

**Note: I hope you guys trust me on this one; I swear I have this entire story mapped out. As always though; Reviews are a very nice thing to leave.  
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	11. Ripping

**Disclaimer: I don't own spirited away.**

**Out of the stars dark current, into the fangs of the light**

There were flashes of images before her eyes in the darkness -bits and pieces of a whole that she could not name or place. Things that she should not -could not- have been able to see. But did anyway.

Memories from the eyes of sharks, circling closer, ripping at heavy silks to find flesh, searching. Blood in the water -and dark currents, pulling her further and further away.

The beasts follow their prey.

Whispers in the water, telling of The Coming. And images of something bigger that twirls around her in the depths. Flashes of teeth and scales. Roaring waves that overtake all -a storm felt even by those who know not the touch of air.

The great boiling anger of the gods, unpleased with their offerings.

Blood in the water.

Voices that should not be -not in this place. Calling out -searching. Looking for something in the blackness that is not dark. Slowly losing it's color.

There is empty here. Emptiness and calm. Words that mean nothing -sound like nothing. But they echo. In voices and tones she cannot place but feel familiar to her. Scales and fur and floating in this nothingness that is a space.

She sees greenness invading her empty. And it calls to her.

So she follows it back to the blood in the water.

**Note: Oh my. I went there. Sorry guys, but this is a huuuuuge part of the plot. Sorry, but yes. this did just happen. As always though; Reviews are a very nice thing to leave.  
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	12. Dripping

**Disclaimer: I don't own spirited away.**

**Unbeing dead isn't being alive.**

Chihiro doesn't not remember her head surfacing in the churning waters, or how she came to be within their hold, but her feet have found purchase -she knows even with the heavy weight of her kimono that if she can keep her footing she can wade out of the coldness that chills her to the bone.

It is hard, pulling herself out onto the river cloth that encases her arms is ripped -torn. She does not look to inspect where else her silks have been rent apart -it is not important. And she lays there for a time; -heaves- great wracking sobs, that dispel the last of the water from her lungs.

It is only then that she makes to stand, to walk back to her village. And Chihiro pays no heed to her own trembling; focuses only on putting one foot in front of the other until she she is home.

She is not far from humanity, and she cannot seem rouse a response to their stares as she strolls through main street. She ignores the dripping of her robes -the small aquatic creatures that tumble from their folds as she passes familiar faces. Reaches for her door with a hand that is not her own. Tumbles inside and toward her stairs without bothering to latch anything behind her. It's not real anyway.

It feels as if she is in a dream that makes no since -everything moving around her with no real motivation. Hers is only to sleep -to make since of the images that flash behind her eyes with bitter, dangerous truths. Silky lies. Sharks.

**Note: Oh my, it seems Chihiro has risen from the dead. Would you look at that. As always though; Reviews are a very nice thing to leave.  
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	13. Rolling

**Disclaimer: I don't own spirited away.**

**Yesterday dreams -tomorrows wake. And your body, like a star. Dieing above it.**

There are too many layers of sopping fabric clinging to her flesh, so she sheds them as she climbs the thin staircase tucked into the back of her shop behind a colorful beaded curtain. She cares not for the pools of silk and salt water that hug the floorboards and catch on the exposed nails and drywall she never had time to finish installing.

She only thinks of the clammy feeling of the wetness against her skin and the need to be rid of it.

There is a trail of glittering, ruined finery leading through her small apartment, ending at the glass door of her shower.

She can't seem to make the water hot enough to erase the feeling of teeth ripping at her arms, and they bear faint scars -whispers that tell her it was real, it was all real- so she scrubs her skin until it is red and raw.

And the feeling isn't enough. So she drags herself away from the spray and into her bed -heedless of the puddle that forms on her sheets. And she listens to the chaos that is happening a thousand miles away and just below her window.

A bone shaking rumble of impact. A roar of fury. A booming voice that sounded like rolling thunder and the snarling of every predator she's ever heard.

"Swine! What did you think would happen, left alone now that you've run off the dog that guarded you. Did you think of what the wolf would do the fold?"

**Note: Offerings and sacrifices and angry gods. the realness of her home, her existence marked in this place, with the unreal of her. As always though; Reviews are a very nice thing to leave.  
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	14. Searching

**Disclaimer: I don't own spirited away.**

**Glistening Hunger -White Marble**

Chihiro closed her eyes to the lullaby of fury that was dim and soft in her dream world. The sound of his claws that ripped at cobble stones as feet shifted restlessly, and the heavy swings of his tail that made the earth shake with their impact. Snarling speech that drowned out all life -making everything close in upon itself, tightening at the seams. And yet he was singing her to sleeping.

"Forty-Nine moons I spent searching for the soul of the girl- keeping and healing the body. Forty-Nine suns she spent caught between worlds -passing between both and belonging in neither- preparing to begin her next life."

Chihiro curled tighter in upon herself at his words, fingers clenching around her wet bedding as she fought to lose herself into it. Fighting the memories that slowly intermingled into something more substantial -more solid, at his every word.

Sharks swam across her vision.

"You serve up your salvation as if a lamb for slaughter -your chosen a token to ward off your own demise." his voice was sardonic as he continued to address his audience, and she could hear the murmured unease that followed. "Well I have granted your wish, Swine; bring to me your Sake so that I may drink from it and finish what you began."

**Note: Hopefully all of you caught what just happened there. If not, It'll going to be explained later anyway. As always though; Reviews are a very nice thing to leave.  
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	15. Sobbing

**Disclaimer: I don't own spirited away.**

**The truth once spoken goes on it's merry way from death to dream**

There was hushed conversation that followed, but she did not hear it. She did not care. Very soon after she heard the heavy crack of claws impacting with the side of her shop, moving upwards, and for a moment the light was not but a view of his silvery underbelly, before she felt him settle upon her roofs peak, tail hanging over the eaves to swing idely before her window -crossing her view every now and again.

She knew not how long they sat in that companionable silence -her curled into the rapidly drying dampness of her sheets, and he not but a flicker of movement from the corner of her eye.

"There are offerings on your doorstep, Little Dog." his voice came, soft and soothing, from the space beyond her vision. "It would be in poor taste to not accept them."

Chihiro wasn't sure why she allowed his words to sway her, but she found herself standing, passing his window. She was heedless of her nudity for the barest of moments as she trailed through her kitchen toward the stairs, but reason won out on a whim, and she grabbed her robe on her way down the stairs. She shrugged it on but did not tie it as she opened her door, looking down at the bundles at her feet -baskets of fresh fruits and soft silks, a bottle of Sake.

Slowly she gathered them into her arms -pausing as if they might burn her at their touch, before bringing them with her up the stairs and into her apartment beyond.

The gifts she left on the kitchen counter -the Sake she took with her to bed; curling back up in the same spot as before, and downing the half empty bottle in three large gulps that had her sobbing by their end.

**Note: And away we go. As always though; Reviews are a very nice thing to leave.  
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	16. Passing

**Disclaimer: I don't own spirited away.**

**The moment controls the hour, the night consumes the rest**

"What's your name?" Chihiro asked the open window after a space of time she could not place, could not name, -and did not care to. Her only acknowledgement of its passing being that darkness had fallen.

And from beyond the curtains that blew softly to and fro, came a voice that for the first time in so long -sounded solid. Not just some dream or memory like all the others that passed her by. And she could had cried in relief of the realness in his notes. "I have many names, Little dog, and many have no words, not as you know them. They are lost to the wind, or are but Whale song. But I am the guardian spirit of the Kohaku River, so you may call me such if it pleases you."

"Kohaku," she murmured softly, feeling out the word even as she called out to him. "My name is Chihiro. Chihiro Ogino."

"I know." he replied, and it felt as if he were saying so much more than those few words. It felt as if he were telling her he knew of her soul and its intricacies, of her favorite movies and the color of the fluffy socks she liked to wear when it was cold. "Rest, Chihiro, and the world will look brighter."

She did not remember much of the days before when she awakened, but she remembered him, and she thought she had mumbled a reply to the guardian that had named himself her protector before drifting away. She thought she had heard him chuckle in the darkness.

**Note: So today I have the day off, so you are getting update and I'm writing more, since updates are sporadic on my work weeks. As always though; Reviews are a very nice thing to leave.  
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	17. Coming

**Disclaimer: I don't own spirited away.**

**Comfort and Danger -the world only stops spinning if you let it.**

The sun was bright and high in the sky when Chihiro finally stepped out of her front door for the first time in what felt like months.

It had taken time for her to adjust to the memories that poured into her head like running water -and to the dragon who now saw fit to watch her like a Hawk. His constant presence now a slight comfort in the face of her inner turbulence. A soft constant. Kohaku was not intrusive in his company -a silent sentry that watched over her.

He never strayed far from her side -and as she slowly made her way down the stretch of main street that was very much her home; and yet so very foreign now; she was thankful for the feeling of his eyes on her. Almost as if his gaze was holding the ragged little bits of her together.

There were people on the street with her, most not meeting her gaze, and a few fearful, but she did not mind. How often in this day an age did fairy tales come to life? And Chihiro was now the walking, talking embodiment of make believe.

She was the girl who tamed gods -brought back from her end. Who wouldn't be afraid of that?

But it was not fear that drove an old woman from her window; coming out onto the street to bow before her. "Bestow upon us your blessings, Bride of the Water God."

"Uh…"

**Note: Updates are sporadic on my work weeks -there will be more once I acquire a day off. As always though; Reviews are a very nice thing to leave.  
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	18. Belaying

**Disclaimer: I don't own spirited away.**

**Turn your hope to the gods, beg forgiveness -pray that it will come**

There was a light headed sort of feeling that accompanied the gazes of people as they landed on her at the old woman's words. Growing more and more intense as they lingered in her silence.

Chihiro took a step back from all of the implications placed before her -things that started to make terrible, terrible since in wake of those five little words.

Bride of the Water God.

The clerk at the grocery that merely took her basket without words and refused her attempts at payment -sending a shop girl to take it to her home for her.

The priests at the shrine who bowed before her as she passed, muttering prayers in words too low to hear and yet she did so anyway.

Secrets and promises she was never meant to hear -uttered by the lips of none- that touched her ears, soft as whispers.

The eyes of the Dragon that rarely strayed from her form and the quiet curiosity in them, the difference in his gaze when it fell on her, and how it spoke of something more than nothingness.

Bride of the Water God.

"I think I would remember getting engaged to a Dragon, thank you very much." Chihiro replied with more assurance than she felt, her confident tone belaying the tightness in her chest.

**Note: I'm very sorry It's taken so long to update. My computer wouldn't even turn on. It was a very troublesome thing indeed.  
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	19. Pounding

**Disclaimer: I don't own spirited away.**

**Deliverance comes on the feathers of a black winged bird -fly away.**

She turned from the people then, her steps just quick enough to reveal the weakness in her being -the panic that was threatening to overtake her form as she tried to internalize all that was happening. The pounding rush in her veins that made her feel like if she could just run fast enough that she would take off from the ground and fly away. Fly away until none of this was real anymore.

Instead she ran to her home, flinging herself desperately up the steps as she tried to to swallow the sobs that were crawling up her throat.

"You need not fear, Chihiro." his words floated to her from his perch, resting atop her roof. She hated that they calmed the pounding of her heart as she she leaned against the cool, solid wood of her bedroom door -beating in a staccato rhythm that threatened to break her ribs apart so that it could free itself. "Your fate -if you choose to accept it, is beyond that which you could ever imagine."

It took her a long moment to compose herself enough that she could walk to the window where she could see his tail lazily swaying in the waning light. And on an impulse that was every childhood adventure -every story book she'd ever read- in the making, Chihiro climbed out of that window. And into her future.

**Note: As I'm not going to look a gift horse in the mouth, or rather, a working computer I should say, I've been writing as much as I can while I've the opportunity. So I have a few chapters waiting to be posted. Not many yet, but some. As always though, Reviews are a nice thing to leave.  
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	20. Being

**Disclaimer: I don't own spirited away.**

The Forever King

She stood there on the windowsill for a moment, letting the wind embrace her -looking out at the ocean beyond the city and the way the light shimmered atop it. Pondering the feeling of free fall. Of flying. And his tail, as it swayed before her.

It was with hands that still trembled with hesitance that she grabbed hold of the appendage. Her grip was firm and he stilled in her gasp for merely a moment before she felt him pull, and lift, -slowly, almost as if to keep from startling her- bringing her into the air and up; until her feet hovered scant inches from the slanted tile of her roof.

She was sheltered in this place where his body curled around her, and she could feel the heat from the scales of his belly though she was not close enough to touch, even when he set her down with a gentleness she did not know he possessed.

The Dragon who called himself Kohaku was staring out at his domain as if she was not there, and Chihiro seated herself in curve of his body; waiting for him to speak the words he knew she had come to hear and staring at his profile in the fading light.

"It is no small thing, to be the bride of spirits. One who walks between the worlds and yet no longer belongs to either. I would have given you the choice, had it been my decision to make -for you are worthy, little dog. But there is no choice now. Only the being."

**Note: An Update for you. I wanted to say thank you to the people who are still reading this after the pause in which I was unable to access a computer. Thank you for your patience, And as always, Reviews are a nice thing to leave.  
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	21. Watching

**Disclaimer: I don't own spirited away.**

**Your someday will find you**

"Only the being?" she asked hesitantly, pulling her knees up so that she could rest her chin atop them, watching him watch the world.

"You are far more than mortal now, Chihiro -a little less than real. No soul could cling so tightly to it's mold after such an event as the one you underwent, not even a soul as stubborn as yours." His words were rumbling and soft, comforting in their sureness, even with the gravity of their meaning.

"So I am changed then because you saved me?"

The dragon laughed, and it was a strange sound as it poured from between his jaws like fog. "It was not the act of saving you, but the act of bringing you back from the wheel of reincarnation that has altered you." he explained, and as he did, he lifted a paw in a distinctly regal gesture, tracing the air currents with his claws. "For, to return you to this rigid, human form, I had to give you a piece of myself to tie you to it. And in doing so, promised myself to you. As it has always been done; sending virgins to their death to become the otherworldly brides of the guardian spirits. You no longer belong here, in this unchanging place -in this world of mortality and morality."

**Note: Hello everyone! And thank you for all your kind words of encouragement; I love hearing from readers and knowing your thoughts on the story. And as always, Reviews are a nice thing to leave.  
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	22. Tucking

**Disclaimer: I don't own spirited away.**

**On the star-way, the moon-path, on the road between sky and space**

"And if I no longer belong here, then where?" she asked, tucking a strand of dark hair behind her ear in a movement that spoke of nervousness. "This place -these people- are my home."

"There is a place." he soothed, finally turning to face her -and bringing Chihiro once more nose to nose with the myth that was not a myth. His breath was warm as it fanned across her cheeks -smelling of salt water, but it left frost kissing her eyelashes. "It resides between the worlds -much like you do. It is a gift for my bride."

She pulled back at that -words that she could not swallow sounding bitter even to her own ears. "You know, no one has actually asked me if I want to get married. I'm not an object -and I can't just be given to you like some cheap hand-me-down christmas gift."

The dragon nodded solemnly at that, turning to look back out at the world before them. "Had it been my decision to make, I would have courted you in the spring after the wounds of the land had been healed and followed the proper rites of betrothal." he confessed after a long moment of silence, and more to her surprise -he stood, his long body twisting around her. "On the night in which I revealed myself to this village -you were the first mortal to recognise the realness in me. After centuries of being forgotten -on the verge of becoming a fallen god, your belief in my realness gave me strength again. And that is why I saved you, Chihiro Ogino, -because you saved me."

**Note: Another quick chapter for you all before I have to run off to work. Enjoy. And as always, Reviews are a nice thing to leave.  
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	23. Something

**Disclaimer: I don't own spirited away.**

**Spirited Away**

Chihiro shut her eyes tightly at his words and the implication of them as they settled against her shoulders -against the weight of what they meant. "You were every story book I had ever read come to life -of course I wanted to believe in you. Who doesn't want a bit of magic to shake up all of this... _normal_? It feels almost like there isn't any real adventure left in the world -every place has been discovered, every road walked. _Of course I wanted to believe in something more_."

The dragon seemed to consider her words for a long moment, taking them as the confession they were.

"There are many more things than that in which you know. Many more wonders yet untouched by human hands." the dragon replied, a cool edge to his words. An attention that sent a shiver up her spine -though not in fear, even as he circled. Predatory in a way that should have sent her scurrying into the safety of home with its small doorways and smaller windows."There is a wealth of mystery beyond this place in which you can only see with your eyes -where you can see with the strands of your hair and the tip of your tongue. Here is where sharks swim through the forests as if the trees were seaweed and tigers stand upon their hind legs to dance with the whispered sound of prayer. Here it is night forever and the sky is studded with infinite diamonds - with stars I have adorned you, my reluctant bride."

Chihiro's eyes snapped open at his words, at the image of the great beast coiled before her and lowered on his haunches -bringing her face to face with the eager expectancy in his gaze.

"I can gift you such fantastical things that have no mortal names, show you sights beyond human comprehension -things only the gods were meant to stand witness. I may not have been able to give you the choice that is your right, but if you ask it of your enraptured suitor: I will give to you your hearts desire."

Hesitantly, she allowed herself to brush fingertips against his fur, feeling the way it flowed like water against her skin, twining in a current that did not exist.

And with a bravery she did not know she possessed, Chihiro met the eyes of the dragon once more.

"Spirit me away."

**Note: Sorry; my laptop is on it's last legs -i've been lucky it's been turning on at all frankly, and for the past few days it's decided it's wanted to be frozen; I finally just got it back on. But as always, Reviews are a nice thing to leave.  
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	24. Believing

**Disclaimer: I don't own spirited away.**

**From one dream to another - tomorrow's memory, the land the world forgot**

There was something almost surreal to Chihiro about riding upon the back of a dragon -as if she were a princess in a story book. Letting him fly away with her. Believing his promises that sounded so very sweet and so very dangerous at the same time. But some part of her had stopped caring about such insignificant things like real and make believe -lies and truths. If just for a moment.

For right now, she was nothing. No one. Just a girl seated atop a creature time had lost, feeling the shifting of his muscles as they arched through the air, and the tickle of silky fur and warm scales against her flesh in the rapidly cooling night.

It seemed almost as if they were going nowhere; merely circling the town in which she had known for the better part of her life. But it was not long before his course changed, and he was taking her up into the mountain that fed the Kohaku river, until the village felt as if it were a lifetime below her.

But still all she saw were trees. Trees and the bright green growth that ruled over this place.

"Do you see it, my little dog? We have arrived."

There was nothing at first, but as he slowly spiraled to the ground, the trees revealed their hidden prize. And before her eyes was a sprawling estate, with enclosed walkways and moss covered roofs.

And walking the grounds where people -though they were not human.

**Note: Another chapter for you lovelies, and finally plot progression! I'm trying to write for this whenever I can, but with my laptop being more dead than alive, and my work schedule plus transit meaning I'm out of the house for about 14 hours a day, It's fairly hard to get a moment to actually sit down and write. But as always, Reviews are a nice thing to leave.  
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	25. Pushing

**Disclaimer: I don't own spirited away.**

**Some doors never close -some doors never open -some wait only for just the right hands.**

Chihiro was in awe of the magnificence around her; the twining trail that appeared through the trees, following their path up the mountain -lined with faintly glowing lanterns. The house that looked almost as if the mountain had been built around it -and yet so lovingly maintained that it could have been placed there that morning. And the procession of kimono clad beings that began to approach as the pair slowly descended before the gate.

This place had all of the opulence she had ever dreamed of, -but it was not the same, with its moss covered roofs and the forest that spilled into it's gardens. It was so much more.

And as she slipped off of the Water God's back and took a tentative step toward the invitation of the gateway, she felt a soft breeze against the back. Almost as if it was pushing her forward.

She turned for a moment, looking back at the Myth that was becoming less of a myth, -watching the way he watched her. Almost as if he were waiting for something. Some sort of denial.

So instead she turned back to the house and stepped through the gateway without another moment of hesitation.

"Welcome, Chihiro Ogino, to the home of the Water God."

**Note: As it's my day off, I'm sitting down to crank more of these out. Since it's about 10 degrees farenhight (-12 degrees celsius) and there is no way I'm going outside for any reason today. As always though, Reviews are a nice thing to leave, and they make the author feel good and want to write more.  
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	26. Everything

**_Disclaimer:_ I don't own spirited away.**

**What is the soul of the land that is mist forever? First name the current - then it's beating heart**

The beauty that encompassed the Water God's home did not end at the front steps; everything about the traditional style estate spoke of quiet splendors and old money -the items displayed in the huge, simple rooms looked to be ancient and ornate. Offerings to the river before he had slowly faded into memory.

And as the Dragon kept time with her curious wanderings in hallways built wide enough to comfortably suit his massive form, she could see how well he seemed to fit in this place, and it left her silent and spellbound as she attempted to take it all in.

"The living quarters are in the next pavilion," A soft voice informed them as a door slid open to their side, revealing to them a young woman with a long, angular face, and even longer hair who was kneeling just beyond the threshold -bowing before them in a way that made Chihiro slightly uncomfortable. "I am Lin, the caretaker of the estate, and I am honored and overjoyed that you have finally returned. I hope everything has been kept to your liking, _Nigihayami Kohaku-nushi_, and that our preparations for the _Hanayome no Kawakami_ have been adequate."

The Dragon inclined his head slightly in acknowledgement. "You will show us to our rooms."

Lin simply nodded as she stood, stepping into the hallway and sliding the rice paper door closed behind her. "Of course, follow me."

**Note: Tonight I am eating ice cream and drinking a lot of wine, as it's a blizzard outside and there was no way I was going outside to get to work tonight. As always though, Reviews are a nice thing to leave, and they make the author feel good and want to write more.  
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**Glossary: **

**_Hanayome no Kawakami_ - Bride of the River god  
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**_Nigihayami Kohaku-nushi_ - Haku's literal title given by the writers; G_od of the Swift Amber River_  
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	27. Bedding

**_Disclaimer:_ I don't own spirited away.**

**More than what's missing matters -bloom for me, as do flowers and stars**

Chihiro couldn't stifle the gasp that escaped her lips at the image that unveiled itself with the opening of the rice paper door.

The room was larger that she had words for -with ceilings that raised up multiple stories, and murals of warriors, and princesses, and the water god himself, -spiraling up the rice paper walls, broken apart by walkways leading to rooms on higher levels. And in the center of the space was a single futon, larger than any she'd seen before.

She did not notice the departure of the woman who called herself 'Lin', nor did she hear the soft clack that accompanied the closing of the door behind them, but they were alone in the space, -and she did notice that.

The spirit of the Kohaku River was beside her one moment, and then laying upon the futon in the next, curling up in large looping coils -sending pillows flying in disorganized heaps as he made himself comfortable in the mess of bedding that was still more than enough to accommodate his size.

"Come, little dog, and rest -the hour grows late, and your curiosity can be met with the morning." Came a quiet rumbling from the mass of fur and scales and bedding, sounding ever so inviting.

**Note: Good evening! I spent the day watching Disney movies and writing -so I have a few more chapters lined up to post. Also, for any unaware yet. This story is going to exceptionally long -more than 100 drabbles, probably more than 200. I can't estimate for sure, but I'm already writing into the 30's and we have only just gotten to this setting and none of the real plot action has started. I hope all of you are prepared for how long this is going to be. As always though, Reviews are a nice thing to leave, and they make the author feel good and want to write more.  
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	28. Flowing

**_Disclaimer:_ I don't own spirited away.**

**Tame the unuttered truth, close the door, lock it away**

It was hard to resist the sleepy rumbling of his voice -beckoning. So instead of paying any attention to the temptation she turned, -trying to take in everything she could of this space that was to be hers. Thiers. However this strange engagement was to work -being the bride of a dragon. "But there is so much I haven't seen yet. This place is… magical."

His reply was a snort of exasperation. "Will you not rest until you have explored every inch of our room?"

She paused for a moment, -feeling his words wash over her with quiet, nonchalant implications, before shaking them off like drops of water and continuing her exploration.

"It's unreal." she said instead, light fingers tracing up the image of a warrior with flowing hair the color of sea grass, and ancient armor in shades of white and blue who twisted his up the walls -forever caught in the middle of some great battle. "He looks like you plucked him right out of time."

"He is there to tell a story." The spirit of the Kohaku River told her idly, though made no move to elaborate further. So she followed the painting around the room with her eyes, trying to figure out this new riddle.

"I don't understand." she told him finally, trying to make sense of what she saw.

"It makes no difference, Chihiro,"he replied after a time -his voice heavy with the slow drawl of sleep. "Though I know the knowledge of it's mystery will amuse you until you've managed to riddle it out."

**Note: Sorry I've not been able to update -I was rather sick and was not going to make the effort when looking at my computer screen made my head start to throb. But I'm feeling better now, so I'll of course be posting as I have the opportunity to write more. As always though, Reviews are a very nice thing to leave, and they make the author feel good and want to write more. And I've really not been getting a lot of feedback on this piece. Do you like it? Do you not? Questions?  
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	29. Relaxing

**_Disclaimer:_ I don't own spirited away.**

**Tangled in the trust of touch**

She turned from the wall then, coming to stand close to the futon -inspecting the way that it was inlaid into the floor, and the way his large body seemed to melt into it. "This place -it's your home, but the lady of the house spoke as if she's not seen you in forever."

"This house was built as a gift for my bride." he corrected, lifting his head so that he could look at her. "I have not seen fit to reside here without her."

"What happened to her then?" She asked -the question burning itself onto her tongue and pouring out of her mouth like smoke.

The dragon cocked his head to the side in confusion. "My dear, you were not born yet at the time I created this place."

"But-"

"I will only ever take one bride." he told her, leveling her with eyes of bright green and more implications she wasn't sure she was capable of handling at the moment. "I will show you all of wonder and strangeness that is your new home -but first it is time to dream. Rest will help the mortal that is still in you to come to grips with this reality beyond reality."

She could feel the lateness of the night pressing on the backs of her eyelids, and didn't see a point in objecting, -It was not as if one more oddity would break her world when nothing else had.

So Chihiro stepped over the pillows that were strewn about the place and found herself a comfortable spot to curl up herself -relaxing into the length of his body as his coils tightened around her almost as if in a hug.

And with the feeling of his quiet warmth eclipsing her, she allowed herself to sleep.

**Note: Hey look, here's me writing when I THOUGHT I was getting better, but really I have the stomach flu. Woo me. In other news -I'm going tomorrow to look at apartments; so that's a thing. As always though, reviews are a wonderful thing to leave.  
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	30. Shimmering

**_Disclaimer:_ I don't own spirited away.**

**Here the silent furrows of heaven's field - there the streaming waters of the gods - between the bridge that passes both, immortal.**

The room was even more beautiful with the light of the moon pouring in from rice paper doors that were slid open to reveal the extravagant courtyard that lay between the pavilions and hugged the river that looped it's way through the mountain before widening into the small lake that the estate was built around.

The dragon was lounging before the opened doors, watching the sky that was all at once shining and dark and endless -and Chihiro watched him from her place contented curled beneath mounds of blankets and pillows.

"You have awakened." his voice was soft and quiet as he spoke, but he showed no hint of movement -content to merely gaze out at the world around him.

Chihiro moved slowly, feeling almost content, -but wary as she stood and walked toward him -running hands through her sleep-tousled hair. "I feel like I've slept for days."

"Time is inconsequential here. Here is the forever night -the world without sun- time passes differently in the glassy waters of the river head."

Confused, she looked at him -trying to understand what the dragon could mean by that. "But, the river head is there." she told him, pointing at what was obviously before them.

His laughter was quiet -amused, and he lifted a paw to point at the small lake as well. "We are there." he told her, gesturing to the small shrine she could see submerged in the clear waters, the red lacquer of it's roof shimmering in the moonlight. "That is what exists in the mortal world. We are here, but there."

She paused for a moment, considering his words. "Makes since," she conceded. "I'm not going to try and figure out _why_ that makes sense, though."

**Note: I have a day off so I'm writing and posting in between talking to apartment complexes and trying to talk to my roommate. As always though, reviews are a wonderful thing to leave.  
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